We talked last time about how January is the perfect time of year for goal-setting. In the course of writing that article, it became clear to me that there were many similarities between my personal health goals and a well-planned marketing strategy.

Resolution #1: Strengthen your core.

At the heart of any fitness strategy is strength training; stronger core strength can reduce injury during other aspects of fitness, like cardio and flexibility. In addition, the more muscle your body has, the more calories it burns even at rest. Your marketing strategy is no different; the stronger your core message and your relationship to your target demographic, the harder your message can work, even when you’re not actively promoting it.

Workout: Research your core demographic, the platforms they use most extensively, and the messages that engage them.

Resolution #2: Cut the fat.

Put. The. Cake. Down. Any trainer will tell you that you can out-eat any workout. If you’re going through the effort of fine-tuning your audience, message, and strategy, make sure you aren’t spending in places that counteract your objectives. For instance, it may be a sweet deal to get a bunch of media buys between 1am and 6am, but if your core demographic isn’t awake to watch, was it worth the binge?

Workout: Comb through last year’s campaigns and find your winners and losers. What worked? What didn’t? Where are you spending your energy? What are you missing?

Resolution #3: Increase flexibility.

Even the strongest messaging and strategy will need to be adjusted from time to time. The more agile you can make your campaign, the more you can bend it to suit your needs. This flexibility is especially important if you want to stretch into other markets or increase your reach in additional demographics. As we like to say, “Sometimes you have to think bigger to get more.”

Workout: Identify your “stretch” goals. What platforms, messaging, and strategy could you use to reach them?

Resolution #4: Go for high-impact moves.

For the best results and a higher fitness level for both your personal goals and your marketing strategy, high-impact campaigns provide meaningful results in a measurable way. Your high-impact program will perform even better when it’s implemented all year long. When I played volleyball at Creighton, we didn’t just practice during the season, we practiced all year long. It wasn’t always fun, but that long-term investment was worth it.

Workout: It goes beyond practicing and perfection; when a marketing message is repeated, it’s remembered. Sign annual contracts over monthly ones; you’ll not only get a better deal, but you also won’t give your potential customers a chance to forget you.

Resolution #5: Hire a trainer.

Not sure where you can save money on marketing or make your strategy work harder? Hire a trainer. A marketing strategist worth her salt will help you see exactly where you can apply your marketing dollars for the greatest impact, much like personal trainer can push you for maximum results in an efficient way. Marketing isn’t everyone’s forté; even if you know how to create a healthy marketing campaign, you may not always have all the tools, resources, and experience to implement it. And that’s ok. Your success isn’t dependent on your ability to do it all; your success depends on the caliber of your team.

Workout: Pick up the phone. Call MediaSpark.